Adapting video games into films seems to be tricky business for some reason. Many games now have such intricate and even cinematic storylines and cut-scenes (the story advancement between gameplay) that taking those stories and eliminating the gameplay should be a reasonably easy task, yet time and time again..
When their father dies, Gabriel (David Dencik) and Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) are given a video containing an important message from the recently deceased. Or at least it’s supposed to be an important message, but thanks to incompetence is instead just a few seconds of the camera accidentally pointed at their father’s…
If the auteur theory holds any validity – and let’s assume, for the purposes of this review, that it does – then Richard Linklater certainly qualifies as an auteur, writing, directing, and producing an uninterrupted flow of character-focused indie dramas for the better part of three decades. Over that period, the self-effacing…
Full disclosure, Jean-Marc Vallée has never really done anything for me as a filmmaker. I thought Dallas Buyers Club had some nice performances but was bland overall and Wild was frustratingly grating and I never understood the love that it received. His films struck me as…
It’s New York in the not-to-distant future, as indicated by see-through smartphones and pills that look as though they were produced by a Play-Doh Fun Factory. Hip ad exec David (Benjamin Dickinson) is moments away from the biggest pitch of his life. He’s meeting with Augmenta, a company who has developed some spectacular…
There aren’t many films with a nun at their center without the words Sister or Act in their title. Far fewer start by plastering a Marilyn Manson quote over the screen as if they are the words of scripture. But…
Let’s get this out of the way up front. The trailer for Everybody Wants Some!! does not inspire confidence. When I heard that Richard Linklater was planning on making a “spiritual sequel…
Editor’s Note: This month marks the 15th anniversary of Super Troopers. Feel free to share…
The character of Deadpool happens to be a character entirely in the hands of his writer. Across comics and movies, he’s seen multiple varied incarnations ranging from good, to tolerable, to awful. Whether his one-liners are dumb references, genuinely humorous quips, or non-existent altogether is entirely up to the…
The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, have often been accused of mocking the characters and the topics they make comedies about, and it’s easy to make that leap if you don’t understand that poking fun at someone or something is often a form of affection. In every film they make, their love and appreciation for their characters and their…